Support for stretching and drying skins



Oct. 20,192 1,558,011

L. H. HAMEL V SUPPORT FOR STRETCHING AND DRYING SKINS Filed Nov. 20,1925 V////// ////A ///V//i//Q "4 22g 2. ma 2 1 Patented Oct. 20, 1925.

UNITED STATES Y LOUIS H. HAMEL, or HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS.

sorroar ronsrasronme AND DRYING SKINS.

Application filed n vembr 20, 1923. Serial no; erases.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS H. HAMEL, a citizen of the United States, aresident of Haverhill, in the county of Essex and Commonwealth ofMassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in. Supports for Stretchingand Drying Skins, of which the following is a specificatlon. v

This invention relates to apparatus used in the manufacture of leather,for the purpose of holding skins stretched while they are being dried,so that, when dry, they will be without wrinkles.

In drying skins after they have been put out, it is customary to stretchthem on boards and secure them in position by tacks, in which positionthey are subjected to warm dry air until dry. Prior to my invention, ithas been customary to secure skins in this manner to large boards,several being socured to each board. These boards are heavy to handle,and as the skins lie close to the boards, the drying process isnecessarily slow. This work calls for considerable skill and experiencein properly tucking and stretching the skins on the boards, and it isnecessarily a slow process, so that the expense of drying the skins isan item of considerable importance.

The objects of my invention are to provide a form of board, or frame towhich the skins may be conveniently and rapidly secured by tacks, orsimilar means, and may be tightly stretched while the securing operationis being performed, so that all wrinkles'will be removed and the middleportion of the skin will be stretched more tightly than has beenpossible with methods previously employed. Also, to provide a form ofboard or frame to which the skins may be properly secured bycomparatively unskilled labor and on which the skins will dry much morerapidly than they will be with present methods.

I accomplish these objects by the means and in manner hereinafterdescribed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a stretching and drying board and holdertherefor embodying my invention,

Figs. 2 and 3 are transverse sectional views thereof, at line ww of Fig.1.

Fig. 4 is a detail view, partly in section, of a portion of the base ofthe stand.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the stretching rail and adjacent portion ofthe board, and i Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view of the rail, on anenlarged scale.

According to my invention I provide a rectangularly shaped board 2 ofsoft wood. of substantially greater width than length and having astretching rail I, mounted on one of its longitudinal edges, said railbe ing centrally pivoted at each end in brackets 6, secured on the endsof the board to permit the rail to tilt sidewise. The inner side of therail nextthe board is preferably fiat and its transverse dimension ispreferably several times greater than the thickness of the board, andthe opposite or outer side thereof is transversely convex or rounded, ina preferably somewhat elliptical shape, as shown in Fig. 6, although theexact con-- figuration is not essential to my invention. The distancesfrom the pivotal connection with the bracket to the points where theconvex face meets the flat face is preferably substantially greater thanthe distance from the pivot to the middle of the convex face. Thedistance from the flat side to the adjacent edge of the board issubstantially less than half the width of said side, so that while therail may tilt on its pivots to an extent to either side of the middleposition, the ex-. tent is limited by the corners of said edge withwhich it will engage. The rail is also made in a somewhat bowed form, sothat the transversely convex surface is also somewhat longitudinallyconvex, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. The middle portion of the board. atthe longitudinaledge next the rail 4 is preferably cut-away to form anotch or recess 3 for the purposes hereinafter described.

In order that the board may be advantageously employed for the purposesintended, it is provided with means whereby it may be relnovablysupported in a manner, to permit universal movement thereof. To this endI provide a support which preferably'comprises a round pedestal or base10 on which a table 12 is mounted for vertical and rotatable adjustmentby means of a vertical post 14 which is rotatably mounted in the baseand is held in different vertical positions by a collar 16 and Set screw18.

A pair of arms 20and 21 are slidably mounted in the table and held inadjusted position'by bolts 22 and said arms are re spectively providedwith 'uprlghts 24, 25

at their ends, the upper ends of each upright having an upwardly openingsocket 26, 27, formed therein adapted to receive projecting trunnions28, which are mounted in the ends of the board 2 at the middle thereof,so that the board may be rotatably mounted in the upper ends of saiduprights and may be readily placed in position thereon and removedtherefrom. A latch 30 is mounted on the upright 24 and .is adapted toengage th'e'board at its upper and under side when in horizontalposition, to lock the same in this position, said latch having a handle31 by mcansof which it may be conveniently released. A tray 32 ispreferably provided on the table, to serve as a convenient means forholding the tacks which are used in securing the skins in position andto receive them when removed.

In practice any convenient number of boards will be successively used inconnection with each support or stand which will be adjusted accordingto the size of the boards.

In use, a board is placed in position in the uprights 24,- 25 and lockedin horizontal position with thelatch,-the workman standing at theopposite edge from the rail 4. A skin is then placed in position on theboard so that approximately one-half the skin rests on thenpper surfaceof the board andextends over the rail so that the other half issuspended from the base, as indicated in Fig. 2. The weight of the skinon the rail will cause the latter to tilt, so that the then upper edgeportion thereof will tilt against the edge or corner of the board. Theportion of the skin resting on the board is then pulled out flat andtacked in position, as shown in said Fig. 3. The board is then unlatchedand turned over and locked in the opposite horizontal position, and, atthe same time, the stand is rotated one half a revolution, so that theworkman will still be standing at the edge opposite that carrying theItlllt. As the board is being turned over and the stand is beingrotated, the other half of the skin will be drawn over the rail A ontothe other side of the board, which will then be uppermost and will bepulled with as much force as the operator is able to exert, so that theslack leather on the half of the skin which was previously attached willbe taken up. In drawing the skin over the rail 4t and pulling it ontothe other, or thenupper side of the board, the frictional engagement ofthe skin with the rail will cause the latter to tilt to its oppositeposition, as shown in Fig. 3, therail thus acting as an anti-frictionaldevice, or as a lever, transversely, so that practically all the forceemployed in pulling on the skin will be effective in stretching itlongitudinally. Also, as the rail is longitudinally convex with itshighest point at the middle, the middle portion of the skin will bestretched to a greater extent, or more tightly than the edge portionsand this is important because the middle portion is usually the heaviestand most valuable portion and, therefore, resists stretching more thanother parts and should be stretched as much as possible to giveincreased area to this portion. When the slain has been. stretched atits middle portion, the middle portion of its end may be sxcured to theboard by tacks and then the side portions may be pulled out and'likewisesecured, as indicated in Fig. 3.

As thus held the skin will not only be tightly stretched, but will beheld out of contact at its inner side with the board throughout itsentire middle portion except where it rests on the bar and is heldagainst the board by tacks; This permits circulation of air between theboard a'nd skin, so

that the skin will dry much" more rapidly than if it were held flat on aboard, and the air could come in contact with the outer side only. Thenotch or recess in the board also permits the air to circulate freelyfrom one side of the board to the other and over the inner surface ofthe skin.

After the skin has been secured in position as above described, theboard will be removed from the uprights and set aside for the skin todry and another will be inserted in place thereof and the operationrepeated.

The tray 32 is employed as a convenient receptacle for tacks, and, aftera skin has dried, the board is placed in the uprights 24, 25' again andheld in a vertical position and then, by means of a hand rake or otherimplement designed for the purpose, the tacks are pulled out andpermitted to fall into the tray, the means permitting rotation of thestand enabling the workman to have ready access to the board while invertical position.

It will be obvious that the boards will be made in various sizesaccording to the size of the skins to be attached, and that the supportor stand will be adjusted as conditions may require.

I claim:

1. A device for supporting skins comprising a flat holder having itsopposite sides adapted for the attachment of the end portions of theskins thereto and a rail extending longitudinally of one edge of theholder and pivotally mounted thereon to swing about a longitudinal axistowards either side from a middle position as the skin is drawnthereover from one side to the other.

2. A device for supporting skins comprising a flat holder having itsopposite sides adapted for the attachment of the end portions of theskins thereto and a rail extending longitudinally of one edge of the llll holder and pivotally mounted thereon to swing about a longitudinalaxis towards either side from a middle position as the skin is drawnthereover from one side to the other, said rail being arranged to extendtransversely beyond each side to support the skin out of contact withthe adjacent portions of said sides.

3. A device for supporting skins comprising a flat holder having itsopposite sides adapted for the attachment of the end portions of theskins thereto and a rail extending longitudinally of one edge of theholder, and pivotally mounted thereon to swing about a longitudinal axistowards either side from a middle position as theskin is drawn thereoverfrom one side to the other, said rail being of greater width than thethickness of said holder and having a transversely convex engaging facefor the skin arranged to extend beyond each side.

4. A device for supporting skins comprising a flat holder having itsopposite sides adapted for the end portions of a skin thereto, and astretching rail mounted on one edge of the holder to tilt laterally toeither side from a middle position, and having a transversely convexface opposite the holder arranged to extend to a substantial distancebeyond each side and means to limit the lateral tilting movement of therail.

5. A device for supporting skins comprising a flat holder having itsopposite sides adapted for attachment of the end portions of a skinthereto, and having a stretching face extending longitudinally of oneedge thereof to permit the skin to be drawn thereover as it is drawnfrom one side to the other, said stretching face having a longitudinallyconvex surface arranged to take up the middle portion of the skin to agreater extent than the side portions thereof.

' 6. A device for supporting skins comprising a fiat holder having itsopposite sides adapted for the attachment of the end portions of a skinthereto, a stretching rail mounted on said holder and extending alongone edge thereof, said rail having a face on its side opposite theholder adapted to engage the skin as it is drawn from one of said sidesto the other, said face being downwardly inclined from its middleportion to its end to provide a raised engaging portion for the middleportion of the skin and means permitting lateral tilting movement ofsaid rail.

7 A device for supporting skins comprising a flat holder having itsopposite sides adapted for the attachment of the end portions of a skinthereto, a stretching rail mounted on said holder and extending alongone edge thereof, said rail having a face on its side opposite theholder adapted to engage the skin as it is drawn from one of said sidesto the other, said face being downwardly inclined from its middleportion to its end and convexly curved transversely, and meanspermitting limited lateral tilting movement of said rail to each side ofa middle position.

8. A device for supporting skins comprising a flat holder having itsopposite sides adapted for the attachment of the end portions of a skinthereto, a stretching rail mounted on said holder and extending alongone edge thereof, said rail having a face on its side opposite theholder adapted to en gage the skin as it is drawn from one of said sidesto the other, said face being downwardly inclined from its middleportion to its end and convexly curved transversely and extended beyondsaid sides to hold the skin out of contact with the adjacent portionsthereof and means permitting lateral tilting movement of said rail toeither side of a middle position.

9. A holder for supporting skins consisting of a rigid board adapted forthe temporary attachment of the end portions of a skin at each side, astretching rail mounted on the board at one edge and extending betweenits ends to engage the skin as it is drawn about said edge from one sideto the other, a stand for pivotally supporting the board at its ends toswing about a horizontal axis and means permitting rotation of the boardabout a vertical axis.

10. A holder for supporting skins consisting of a rigid board adaptedfor the temporary attachment of the end portions of a skin at each side,a stretching rail centrally pivoted at its ends on the board andextending in approximate parallelism with one of the longitudinal edgesthereof, said rail having a transversely convex outer side and arelatively flat inner side arranged in proximity to said edge, the widthof said inner face being substantially greater than the thickness of theboard and arranged to engage the same to limit the tilting move mentthereof to either side from an intermediate position.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

LOUIS H. HAMEL.

